A spokesman for Swift & Co. says a lawsuit filed recently by eighteen former Swift & Co. employees is "completely without merit." The $23-million lawsuit alleges that the meat packing company conspired to manipulate and depress the labor market and wages by hiring illegal immigrants.

The lawsuit, filed late Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleges that defendants including Swift and its owners, HM Capital Partners LLC in Dallas -- formerly Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst -- engaged in an "enterprise that grossly affected commerce through a pattern of racketeering activity" in violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act...

I heard one of the lawyers on KFI's John & Ken Show a day or two ago. Most of the plaintiffs are Mexican-Americans and legal Hispanic immigrants. However, he didn't seem to sure of the suit, and J & K seemed to think it might be a bit of a fishing expedition.